Intercropped plantations of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium: nitrogen cycle microbiome in the soil and litter interface

• Grant number: 17/16610-3
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): December 05, 2017
• Effective date (End): August 05, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal researcher: Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso
• Grantee: Arthur Prudêncio de Araujo Pereira
• Supervisor abroad: Brajesh Kumar Singh
• Home Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Western Sydney University, Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/01636-4 - The metagenome of mixed forests of Eucalyptus urograndis: taxonomic and functional diversity of soil microbiome associated with nitrogen cycling, BP.DR

Abstract

There is growing concern about sustainability of commercial eucalyptus plantations in Brazil. This is because, in 99% of the cases, these commercial plantations are monocultures. This practice can cause an imbalance of nutrient contents in soil and of nutrient cycling, e.g. we know that this crop requires high N apports after one or two rotations. Thus, the insertion of a leguminous plant in a mixed system with Eucalyptus has become a relevant option, mainly for soil enrichment with N. Although mixed plantations are generally more productive than pure Eucalyptus stands, there are no studies evaluating the soil and litter microbiome for N-fixing bacteria in mixed Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium plantations. Our research project, however, has the objective of sequencing the 16S rRNA genes of bacteria and archaea in soil and litter, in an attempt to understand the main taxonomic and functional groups of the associated soil microbiota. We expect to find relevant ecological data to prove that nitrogen fixation is the most outstanding trait to differ pure and mixed plantations. With a better understanding of the interactions between Eucalyptus and N-fixing leguminous trees, probably modulated by the diazotrophic character of the latter one, it will be possible to design better management and conservation practices of these forests. This will also enable us to explain how the ecological intensification of intercropped plantations influences soil quality, N cycling, and sustainability of Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil.

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SANTANA, MAIELE CINTRA; DE ARAUJO PEREIRA, ARTHUR PRUDENCIO; DE SOUZA, ADIJAILTON JOSE; GUIDETTI ZAGATTO, MAURICIO RUMENOS; PRUDENCIO DE ARAUJO, VICTOR LUCAS VIEIRA; WANG, JUN-TAO; VERMA, JAY PRAKASH; SINGH, BRAJESH KUMAR; BRAN NOGUEIRA CARDOSO, ELKE JURANDY. Shifts on archaeal community structure in pure and mixed Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium plantations. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, v. 492, JUL 15 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

PEREIRA, ARTHUR PRUDENCIO DE A.; SANTANA, MAIELE C.; ZAGATTO, MAURICIO R. G.; BRANDANI, CAROLINA B.; WANG, JUN-TAO; VERMA, JAY P.; SINGH, BRAJESH K.; CARDOSO, ELKE J. B. N. Nitrogen-fixing trees in mixed forest systems regulate the ecology of fungal community and phosphorus cycling. Science of The Total Environment, v. 758, MAR 1 2021. Web of Science Citations: 1.

PEREIRA, ARTHUR P. A.; DURRER, ADEMIR; GUMIERE, THIAGO; GONCALVES, JOSE L. M.; ROBIN, AGNES; BOUILLET, JEAN-PIERRE; WANG, JUNTAO; VERMA, JAY P.; SINGH, BRAJESH K.; CARDOSO, ELKE J. B. N. Mixed Eucalyptus plantations induce changes in microbial communities and increase biological functions in the soil and litter layers. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, v. 433, p. 332-342, FEB 15 2019. Web of Science Citations: 3.

PEREIRA, ARTHUR P. A.; ZAGATTO, MAURICIO R. G.; BRANDANI, CAROLINA B.; MESCOLOTTI, DENISE DE LOURDES; COTTA, SIMONE R.; GONCALVES, JOSE L. M.; CARDOSO, ELKE J. B. N. Acacia Changes Microbial Indicators and Increases C and N in Soil Organic Fractions in Intercropped Eucalyptus Plantations. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 9, APR 4 2018. Web of Science Citations: 8.